ENHANCING PRODUCTIVITY AND FOOD SECURITY WITH CLIMATE-SMART MAIZE VARIETIES: EVIDENCE FROM KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

A continued decline in food production and productivity could render the goals of achieving food security and eliminating hunger far from reach-objectives at the core of the first of the United Nations' Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. Hence, efforts have been made to develop adaptation strategies against drought stress, one of which is climate-smart maize varieties (CSMVs). The study aims to analyse the effects of CSMVs on farmers’ productivity and food security in Kaduna State Nigeria. A total of 260 maize farmers from a sample frame of 1,053, across three agricultural zones in the state were randomly selected and interviewed in 2022/2023 cropping season. Descriptive statistics, ordinary least squares regression and ordered logit regression were used to analyze the data. The descriptive statistics show that female participation is generally low, although relatively higher among adopters (19%) than non-adopters (16.67%). Only 10% of non-adopters have access to extension services compared to 53% of adopters. While 83.33% of non-adopters have no formal education, only 20% of adopters fall into this category. The OLS results shows that adoption of CSMVs significantly increases output, and adopters have a slightly higher average output of 2,467 kg per ha compared to 2,220 kg per ha for non-adopters. The coefficients of age, farm size and access to credit were positive and statistically significant while gender was also significant but negative. Adoption of CSMVs and extension contact were significant and positive predictors of improved food security while level of education and social organisation have a negative relationship with food security. The study concludes that adoption of the CSMVs among the farmers could be attributed to the availability of information through extension services, access to credit, and the influence of education in the study area. Agricultural institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should focus on promoting adoption of improved maize varieties, ensuring women and older farmers are adequately supported, and provide access to credit and land to boost agricultural efficiency in order to improve productivity. Keywords: Adopters, non-Adopters, climate-smart maize varieties (CSMVs), Food Consumption Score (FCS)